


take what you need & be on your way

by weasleytook



Category: Gilmore Girls, How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Misses Clause Challenge, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-02 23:30:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2829971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weasleytook/pseuds/weasleytook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her name doesn't matter, it never really has.</p>
            </blockquote>





	take what you need & be on your way

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fujiidom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fujiidom/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide to you, fujiidom! I really loved your prompt and had fun writing it, so I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Thanks to my beta!

Paris adjusts her webcam just as the window opens up and Rory appears. Before she can even say hello, Rory chirps, “You’re blonde!”

 

“Boy, nothing gets past you, Gilmore. Have been for over twenty-two years now.”

 

“I mean, you’re _really_ blonde.”

 

Her mother had always referred to hair as a dull blonde, not the pretty golden blonde that other Gellers had. Funny what a little bit of bleach could do.

 

“After the e-mail I sent you, the only thing you have to comment on is my hair?”

 

“Well, I thought maybe you were pranking me.”

 

“Because I’m so well known for my mischievous wit and acts of whimsy.”

 

Rory shook her head and looked around her tiny hotel room, somewhere in Nevada and still on the campaign trail with Barack Obama, then back to the camera. “I mean, Bonnie Winterbottom? That’s not even a real name, it’s a J.K. Rowling character.”

 

“I have my reasons.”

 

“And they are?”

 

“Michael Winterbottom was a friend of Asher’s at Oxford, a fellow academic and someone Asher talked about constantly. And Bonnie is –“

 

“Bonnie and Clyde!” Rory was grinning so wide, it had to be hurting her face.

 

“My grandmother. The only Geller to ever give a damn about me.”

 

“Oh.” Rory looked properly scolded by Paris’ answer. “So let me get this straight. You went to India with Doyle, as planned. You somehow ended up in a prison in Mumbai for accidental smuggling, argued your way out of it and now you’re changing your name and going to Harvard Law School instead of medical school.”

 

“Correct. I realized while I was talking my way out of that whole mess that my calling was never in medicine. Talking, arguing, tearing people down with facts is what I do best. Law school is what I’m meant to do. I once thought I was going to be the first female president, if Hillary didn’t get to it first, and law school is the path to that.”

 

“Okay, that all makes sense but what about Doyle? And the name change?”

 

“Listen, I loved Doyle, but after watching him fold like a house of cards in Mumbai, I realized I was never meant to be Mrs. Doyle McMaster. I have bigger things to do with my life and Doyle’s just not going to be a part of that.”

 

Rory was nodding but then her eyes widened and she sat up straight. “He’s not still in an Indian prison, is he?”

 

“Of course not. He’s fine, thanks to me. As for the name change, it’s just –“

 

She paused because she didn’t know how to explain it out loud. Maybe it was just a silly whim, but it felt right. Being Paris Geller had served its purpose, but the name wasn’t who she was. She barely knew the two people who gave it to her, and all they ever gave her was a home and a full bank account. It was just a name, it wasn’t who she was or who she wanted to be anymore.

 

“It’s just a thing I need to do.”

 

Rory kind of frowned at her. “You know there was never anything wrong with Paris Geller.”

 

Paris smiled just slightly because it was a very Rory thing to say and it was why she was keeping Rory in her life whether she was called Bonnie or Paris or anything else. “I know.”

 

“This might just be the craziest thing you’ve ever done.”

 

“Are we _sure_ about that?”

  
  
  


&&&

  
  


It turns out that crazy doesn’t seem so crazy after all. She got her trust fund when she turned twenty-one, so she doesn’t have to worry about money. The only people she keeps in touch with are Rory and Nanny and a few contacts from Yale that she needs references from. When someone who knew Paris asks why she’s now Bonnie, she just glosses over it as if it was a family issue. Leaving people with questions and mystery is much more interesting than the truth.

 

She makes a generous donation to the Yale library and suddenly there are no problems with changing all of her records and transcripts over to her name.

 

It’s all easier than she thought. Name change at the courthouse, documents, IDs and passports changed over and Paris Geller is no more.

  
  


&&&

  
  
  


Harvard Law School is better than she ever imagined. She dives deep into her studies, and the more she does the more baffled she is that she ever thought being a doctor was what she wanted. It was what her mother wanted, a doctor in the family, and Bonnie wonders if it was some last ditch effort on her part to please a mother who could never be pleased.

 

It doesn’t matter now; law is where she belongs and she knows it deep down in her gut. She figures human rights law or constitutional law will be the direction she heads, especially if she wants to run for office someday.

 

But then a funny thing happens about twelve weeks into her first year at Harvard. Her criminal law professor discusses a current case in Philadelphia and the name Annalise Keating comes up as a subject of both fear and fascination in the eyes of their professor.

 

Watching her professor, who is no slouch herself in the world of criminal law, talk about Keating like kids talk about their favorite superheroes makes Bonnie want to know everything about her.

 

She spends an entire Saturday in the library researching every case Keating has ever worked on and scouring the internet for every article that mentions her. Bonnie learns that she’s not just incredibly smart, she’s tough, takes no prisoners and has the kind of reputation that strikes fear into the hearts of prosecutors and judges everywhere.

 

Criminal Law was never in her plan. It wouldn’t have even made her top five choices. But here she is bleary-eyed at five in the morning reconsidering all of her goals once more.

 

She texts Rory, because someone needs to tell her this is right: _What if I go into criminal law?_

 

Rory texts back: _It’s 2 a.m. in California, if I murder someone because you woke me up, you can defend me._

 

Bonnie replies: _No, seriously, me as a defense attorney, can you imagine it?_

 

Rory sends a text back that makes Bonnie smile, because now she knows, it’s the right choice: _You talked your way out of God knows how long a sentence in a Mumbai jail, I think you’ve found your calling._

  
  
  


&&&

  
  
  


“Miss Winterbottom, please have a seat.”

 

Bonnie drops into the chair across from Annalise Keating’s desk. She’s not trembling, nor does she look outwardly nervous, but her insides feel completely torn up. She’d already been warned by a professor at Harvard that Keating doesn’t take kindly to ass-kissers or sycophants, so Bonnie did her best to keep her baser instincts locked down.

 

“Professor Keating, thank you for meeting with me.”

 

“You do realize I’m not currently hiring any new associates?”

 

“Yes, I’m aware.”

 

Annalise opens the folder in front of her and Bonnie can tell it’s her resume, and underneath that, an extensive file on her.  “So you drove from Boston to Philadelphia to come to an interview for a job position I’m not offering?”

 

“ _You_ asked to meet _me_. I wasn’t going to turn down that opportunity.”

 

“I only looked at your resume because Professor James recommended you to me. Impressive. Everything a potential employer would want. But then I continued to dig deeper and found some interesting things.”

 

She knew Annalise was talking about the name change, or maybe the information about what happened in Mumbai, or maybe all of the above.

 

“I do whatever it takes to get what I want. Even if that means becoming someone else.”

 

Annalise flips through a few more pages and then abruptly closes the folder. “We don’t play around here. I don’t make friends with my employees. We don’t do Secret Santa or have company barbeques or any of that. We come here to do our jobs, and we do it better than anyone in the world. We don’t get emotional about each other or our clients. Do you understand?”

 

“I dumped a former boyfriend just so I could spend more time making decisions about post-grad work. I essentially divorced my own parents three years ago. I don’t do warm and fuzzy.”

 

“Good. Then you can start Monday at eight a.m.”

 

Bonnie resists every urge she has to jump out of her chair and dance in circles around the desk. No one, and especially not Annalise Keating, needs to see her dance.

 

“Monday?”

 

“I can’t give you a full time salary right now, but if it works out, and it rarely does, then we’ll see. Is Monday a problem for you?”

 

“Not at all, Professor. I’ll see you on Monday.”

 

They stand simultaneously and formally shake hands and Bonnie can’t help the hint of a smile that passes her lips, and maybe it’s just wishful thinking but she swears she can see Annalise keeping a smile at bay too.

 

When she exits the office and heads out into the street, she feels like skipping back to her hotel, and she has never skipped in her entire life, not even when she was a child. Bonnie doesn’t know why Annalise decided to hire her and she has no plans on questioning it because she doesn’t want to give her any room to change her mind.

  
  
  


&&&

  
  
  


It takes Bonnie just under three months to become a full-time associate.  She was already working the hours for it, but when she tears down the associate ranked above her, some Princeton grad named Heather (a name that Bonnie always says condescendingly, like it’s written in italics, _Heather_ ),  Annalise notices.

 

 _Heather_ had been just one move away from causing a mistrial on a murder case they’d been working on since before Bonnie had even been hired, and it was Bonnie that noticed her mistakes. So, out goes _Heather_ , and in comes Bonnie.

 

Annalise’s respect isn’t given easily, or at all. Frank has been there longer than anyone and he’s never fully cracked that barrier that Annalise keeps around her. He’s earned her trust, maybe, and a small amount of grudging respect, but she definitely keeps him at arm’s length. Annalise had not been kidding about this not being a cuddly workplace.

 

It’s not that she expects to be Annalise’s best friend and stay up all night talking about boys and eating Chunky Monkey. All she wants is to not feel a knot of fear when Annalise starts a sentence with, “Miss Winterbottom…” She wants at least the same level of comfort that Frank has, not that comfort is the right word for it, more like a prickly form of respect with a dash of camaraderie.

  
  
  


&&&

  
  
  


It takes her two years. Two years, countless briefs and cases and late nights poring over files. There’s no time for dating or friendships, her only contact is with Annalise, Frank and the various law students that pass through their office each semester.  She stays in contact with Rory, but both of them are so busy, it’s rare that they ever see each other in person.

 

But Bonnie doesn’t mind. It’s everything she’s worked for and everything she’s wanted. Maybe there are a lot of sleepless nights, but it’s worth it. Annalise Keating is the first person to really respect her for her mind and her hard work and not just out of fear or proximity like people did in high school and college.

 

Bonnie starts noticing the shift that winter. Annalise comes to her more than she comes to Frank when she needs a second opinion or some important case detail gone over. She even talks to her about personal things, though not very often.

 

Annalise informs them on the twenty-third of December that she’s giving them a week off for Christmas. Their case load is lighter than usual so Annalise and Sam are taking off to Manhattan to spend the holiday with some friends and there’s no reason for Frank or Bonnie to come back in until the first of the year.

 

Before she leaves for the night, she stops by Annalise’s office and knocks lightly at the door frame to get her attention. “I just wanted to tell you, before I leave, Merry Christmas, Professor.”

 

She turns to leave but then freezes in her tracks and turns back when Annalise says, “Bonnie –“

 

In the entire time she’s worked there, never once has Annalise called her anything but Miss Winterbottom.

 

“Yes, Professor?”

 

“If you have no other plans for the holiday, you’re free to join Sam and I for dinner in New York. And tell Frank he is welcome too.”

 

Bonnie tries not to die from shock right there in Annalise’s doorway. They’ve never invited her out for dinner, much less a cup of coffee or anything else. “Thank you, Professor, I’ll let Frank know.”

 

“And Bonnie? I think you can start calling me Annalise now.”

 

This time she doesn’t even stop the smile before it happens. “Thank you, Annalise.”

 

She shuts the door behind her and walks out to where Frank is getting his coat on. He raises both eyebrows at her because it’s obvious there’s a new lightness to her step. “You look weird.”

 

“I’m happy. This is how I look when I’m happy.”

 

“Well, it’s weird.”

 

She’s never worked so hard for the tiniest amount of affection, but it’s somehow worth it, so she just laughs off Frank’s comment.

 

As he’s tying his scarf around his neck, he says to her, “Congratulations, by the way.”

 

“On what?”

 

“I worked here for over three years, begging at her feet like a dog begging for table scraps, before she let me call her Annalise. You did it in record time.”

 

Bonnie grins in total self-satisfaction. If she didn’t hate him and know that he’d hold it over her head for the rest of her life, she’d consider kissing Frank out of sheer joy. Instead she just keeps grinning, and nudges him towards the door. “For that, I’m going to buy you a drink.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Don’t get excited. I’ve only decided to stop hating you for the next hour. After that, it’s back to normal.”

 

 


End file.
